Tag: The Martian

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish (click the link to visit them) who pick a different topic each week.

This week the topic is…Top Ten Books to Make you Laugh

A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon: I found this book really funny as well as bittersweet and slightly heartbreaking. George was darkly hilarious without meaning to be.

“George Hall doesn’t understand the modern obsession with talking about everything. ‘The secret of contentment, George felt, lay in ignoring many things completely.”

Mystery Man & Dan Starkey by Colin Bateman: I feel like I’ve talked about Bateman’s books too much on this blog since I started it, but it’s impossible not to include both of his hilarious series on this list. They are black humour at its best. I did a whole feature on it here. And, Dan Starkey is a feckless journalist who finds himself in ridiculously stupid yet very sticky situations, constantly! [Review]

“Serial Killer Week got off to an inauspicious start when the opening wine and bean evening was invaded by a former prisoner who misinterpreted the poster, but he was at least able to give us the professional’s view of the genre.”

The Gates by John Connolly: Samuel Johnson and his dachshund, Boswell are a hilarious duo in John Connolly’s book about demon neighbours, portals, and the Large Hadron Collider.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy: A sarcastic skeleton detective and a girl who kicks ass…what more could you want?

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins: Pitched as ‘Legally Blonde meets The Terminator’, this book was full of genuine laughs and also laughs from the ridiculousness of it. In a good way. It was a lot of fun. [Review]

The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell: I absolutely loved this book. I don’t think it was supposed to be a comedy so to speak but protagonist Samantha Whipple really made me laugh. [Review]

Horns by Joe Hill: I’m not really sure why I found this book funny, but I did. It was pretty dark and twisted but the protagonist’s reaction to what was happening to him was amusing. [Review]

The Martian by Andy Weir: Mark Watney provides some much needed humour in this book about one man stranded on Mars. [Review]

“If I could have anything, it would be a radio to ask NASA the safe path down the Ramp. Well, if I could have anything, it would be for the green-skinned yet beautiful Queen of Mars to rescue me so she can learn more about this Earth thing called ‘lovemaking’.”

I am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak: It’s been a long time since I read this one so I can’t remember it in great detail, but I do remember that I loved Ed Kennedy’s self-deprecating sense of humour in it and that it made me laugh.

March was a good month. I finally got a start date for my new job, and handed in my notice at my current place. I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to talk about my new job due to the nature of it, but I will be a Library Assistant…in a prison. I’m really excited, and a tad anxious, but really looking forward to it.

I’m not sure how much this will impact my blog, as there is no internet in prison (obviously), and I’m not even allowed to have my phone with me, but I’ll do my best to catch up with things in the evenings. And, I get weekends back! Hurrah! I start mid-April. EEEEK!

Other good things in March were that my mum came to visit and we went to the West End to see The Commitments, a couple of birthdays were celebrated, and I had the best tapas at The Port House.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first men to walk on the surface of Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first man to die there.

It started with the dust storm that holed his suit and nearly killed him, and that forced his crew to leave him behind, sure he was already dead. Now he’s stranded millions of miles from the nearest human being, with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive–and even if he could get word out, his food would be gone years before a rescue mission could arrive. Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to get him first.

But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills–and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit–he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Review

The Martian is like the most intense science lesson you never had.

Mark Watney is stranded on Mars, presumed dead. As the first line perfectly describes he’s ‘pretty much fucked’. But Mark Watney is also the most ridiculously resourceful astronaut there ever was, and he’s not about to give up.

He spends his days planning and problem solving in order to figure out how to keep himself alive until he can be rescued, whilst reluctantly listening to disco music and watching old 70’s sitcoms left behind by his crew-mates.

The story is told in the form of daily logs from Watney, in his smart-ass, witty voice, and also from the perspective of the NASA team who are trying to save him now that they’re aware he’s alive.

I was totally engrossed in this story, and rooting for Watney the whole way through. The book mixes hard science (something I know very little about) with fantastically real science-fiction which makes for an intense read. At times I did get a bit bored of all the minuscule details of Watney’s potato farm and water reclaimer, but all the little details added to the real-ness of the story.

I was surprised by how funny this book was too, which was all down to the characterisation of Watney. He was hilarious, and NASA’s reactions to him just made me laugh even more. If anyone could survive alone in space, it would be someone like Mark Watney.

I thought this was a really clever book. It had its ups and downs, but overall I found it interesting, exciting and hard to put down.

New on the Shelf

Purchased: I finally got round to buying Rebel Belle by which arrived at the weekend.Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper’s destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can’t get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she’s charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper’s least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David’s own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

Netgalley: I was approved for Ice Kissed by Amanda Hocking, so now I need to read the first book Frost Fire, which I’ve been meaning to read for ages. Loving the covers! Ice Kissed is released May 5th.

Bryn Aven has always longed to be a part of the Kanin world.

Though she has no social status because she’s a half-breed, she refuses to give up on her dream of serving the kingdom she loves. It’s a dream that brings her to a whole new realm . . . the glittering palace of the Skojare.

The Skojare people need protection from the same brutal rival who’s been threatening the Kanin, and, being half Skojare herself, it’s a chance for Bryn to learn more about her heritage. Her boss Ridley Dresden is overseeing her mission and wants to help. He’s always been her most trusted friend—but as their undeniable attraction heats up, he becomes a distraction she can’t afford.

Brynn is about to discover that the Skojare world is full of secrets, and as she’s drawn in deeper and deeper, she doesn’t know who to trust. As she gets closer to Ridley, she realizes she may not even be able to trust her own heart.

Borrowed: I didn’t borrow any books this week. I still have two or three of my friend Dora’s which I haven’t got round to reading yet.

I’m Waiting on…

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story ~ David Levithan
I loved Will Grayson so much, and Tiny was my favorite character. Can NOT wait for this one!It’s Tiny Cooper’s turn in the spotlight in this companion novel to New York Times bestseller Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

Jazz hands at the ready! Tiny Cooper (“the world’s largest person who is also really, really gay”) stole readers’ hearts when he was introduced to the world in the New York Times bestselling book Will Grayson, Will Grayson, co-authored by John Green and David Levithan. Now Tiny finally gets to tell his story—from his fabulous birth and childhood to his quest for true love and his infamous parade of ex-boyfriends—the way he always intended: as a musical! Filled with honesty, humor, and “big, lively, belty” musical numbers, the novel is told through the full script of the musical first introduced in Will Grayson, Will Grayson.
Expected publication: March 17th 2015

So, that’s my week in books, now how about yours?

If you still do a similar WWW post (or just want to join in, leave your link/answers in the comments, OR why not tweet using #ThisWeekInBooks, and I’ll come and visit!

Welcome to my Wednesday post, where I sum-up what I’ve been up to in bookland the past week.

I’ve been a bit AWOL lately, sorry about that. But real life has been a bit crazy and I literally didn’t get longer than 30 mins all week to pick up a book, never mind do any blogging. But hopefully all that will change soon as…wait for it… I finally GOT A JOB!! I’m not going to announce what it is yet, as I haven’t had the paperwork through and it depends on some security checks, but what I can tell you is that IT INVOLVES BOOKS. Eeeeeeeek…finally!

Anyway, back to this week. I’ve cut this one short as my blogging activity has been so limited. Hopefully normality will resume next week.

I had to give up on this one. I kind of appreciated the ambition of it, but I just didn’t get it. It probably didn’t help that I had no reading time so felt like I had to be more selective than usual. I’ll still try to do a mini review of this soon as it was a Netgalley approval.

Next: ???

Same as my last post I’m afraid: As always, I’m not sure. There are lots of options; Heir of Fire, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and The Girl with all The Gifts are at the top of the pile at the mo.

This is a monthly post where I share some of the books that I’ve found through fellow bloggers that I HAD to add to my wishlist immediately. I’m hoping I’ll look back on these posts and remember to buy/request the books (wishful thinking!).

Click on the links to go to the original posts.

Found on:Books, Bones & BuffyWhy: Tammy gave it a rave review, but it was her description that sold me on it the most: ‘An edge-of-your-seat survival story, a brilliant and sarcastic main character, lots of twists and turns, and a fascinating look at our country’s potential for space travel.’

Found on: Tor/Forge BlogWhy: ‘A swashbuckling adventure for young adults by talented author and illustrator, Ben Tripp. This thrilling tale of dark magic and true love is the perfect story for fans of William Goldman’s The Princess Bride.’ A big YES to all of that.

Found on: Luna’s Little LibraryWhy: Everything about this speaks to me, but mostly I was blown away by the cover. It makes me long for Christmas